Sanitary landfill in Dompe:

Waste management in new direction

By Ranil WIJAYAPA

In the process of finding a long lasting solution for the never ending garbage problem in Sri Lanka, the Central Environmental Authority with the technical and financial assistance from the Korea International Corporation Agency (KOICA), is now in the process of introducing the first ever sanitary land fill in Maligawatta in Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha area.

The site located in a serene environment close to Kirindiwela town, once completed will provide a permanent site for Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha to dump their garbage in a more environmental-friendly manner without causing any conflicts with the people living around the site.

It will be the first integrated solution to the solid waste management in Sri Lanka using advanced state-of-the art sanitary landfill technology.

The sanitary landfill will come as a solution for the unregulated, open dumping of solid waste by the local authorities as it will be the first sanitary fill to be used with modern technology to avoid pollution of soil and the ground water and the water ways in the surrounding area.

This pilot project which is now under way in Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha area came under the inspection of Senior Presidential Advisor and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Deputy Ministers Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Sarana Gunawardhana, and Dulip Wijesekara last Thursday.

Ambassador of South Korea and Chairman of the Central Environment Authority Jonmoon Choi, and the Secretary to the Mass Media and Information Ministry Charitha Herath, Gampaha District Secretary J.J. Rathnasiri also participated at this occasion.

This landfill site is being constructed with technical expertise and financial assistance from the Korean government, through KOICA and it has facilitated US $ 4.5 million as a grant with another US $ 1.5 million funding from the Sri Lankan Government for this project.

According to the officials of the Central Environment Authority the project for the integrated Waste Management System was agreed to launch in 2008 with an aim to help establish an effective integrated waste management model by transferring Korea's accumulated experience and technology in the field of waste management system.

But the project failed to commence due to a series of failures in securing an appropriate location for the project. Since then CEA and local authorities in the Western Province had discussions and thereafter due to interference of the Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa.

Dompe was finally selected as the project location in July 2010 and from then the CEA was able to commence the earth and ground work for the project over the past one and half years. Upon completion of the preparatory work in June 2012, KOICA took over the site and document for further main construction work.

This KOICA's 4.5 million US dollar budget scale project consists mainly of design and construction of the sanitary landfill site with the handling capacity of the collective waste up to 90 tons a day, and the construction of leachate treatment facility together with provision of heavy equipment including vehicles, an arm truck, a back hoe and bulldozer for operation and maintenance of the facility.

In addition, the project will also be aimed at capacity building programs which were held in Korea, have been offered to CEA and other local authority officials on waste management policy-making and management of sanitary landfill sites to facilitate Sri Lankan officials acquisition of skills and know how for operation and maintenance of the project and ensure the project sustainability.

Inspecting the sanitary landfill site, Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa said that the site will be the first step towards finding environment, friendly solution for the waste management in Sri Lanka. "With the introduction of such facilities, the local authorities will be able to heave a sigh of relief as waste management has become one of the burning issues for the local authorities in the country", the Minister added.

"Our intention is to create an environment free of garbage by introducing projects of this nature and in the way we succeeded in the humanitarian operation we will also be able to succeed in our efforts if people of this country extend their support for such projects", the Minister added.

He said it was not the people who oppose the implementation of the projects of this nature but the invisible hands of the politicians.

"However, the people will have to suffer at the end if they fall prey to the traps of the narrow-minded politicians", the Minister added.

Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said that the Environment Ministry has already introduced several programs to solve the waste management issue in the country. "We have introduced a large number of compost plants as a solution for the solid waste management in the country and the sanitary landfill will also be a very good answer for the waste management in the country in the future", the Minister added. Minister Yapa said that the Environment Ministry is planning to construct another 4 large-scale waste management facilities with the funding of 33.5 million US dollars in four provinces of the Sri Lanka under the Korean Government Loan program to Sri Lanka.

According to Deputy Director General, Central Environment Authority Jayavilal Fernando, the sanitary landfill will be available exclusively for the Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha to dump the residual waste collected daily from Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha area.

"In addition to the sanitary landfill, the Central Environment Authority will provide assistance for Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha to have composting site at the same location under the Pilisaru programe.

At this site the solid waste collected from the Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha area will be sorted and only the residual waste will be dumped in the sanitary landfill. The polythene, plastic and other recyclable waste will be separated for the recycling process", he added.

He said the construction of the composting site will be started only after the completion of the sanitary landfill site by the Korean experts as the location has not enough room to have two separate projects simultaneously.

The construction of the landfill by the Korean experts is expected to be completed in December 2013 and the construction of the composting site will commence after the completion of the landfill to get the site ready for operation by 2014, he added.

Fernando said that since Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha officials do not have technical expertise to independently handle the landfill site, a committee will be appointed comprising officials from the Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha and the Central Environment Authority.

"These committee members will be trained in Korea on the technical aspect of the operation, starting from May next year", he said.

He said this will be the first sanitary landfill using the modern technology with the installation of High Density Poluethylene pipes at the bottom of the landfill to drain water from the landfill and sealing off the ground with geo textile, bentonite mat and polyethylene sheet to stop waste water and leachate absorption to the ground.

Bentonite is noted for its affinity for water and for tremendous swelling properties and it absorbs nearly five times its weight of water and at full saturation it occupies a volume of 12 to 15 times its dry bulk weight.

The site also includes a facility to treat the leachate drained from the landfill before it is released out of the site.Once this project is completed by end 2013, it is expected to be the very first sanitary landfill facility of its kind in Sri Lanka and it will contribute to the replication of an efficient model of waste management across the country as a flagship pilot project, he added.

He said the landfill will fulfil the requirement of the Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha for another ten to 15 years depending on the solid waste collection and finally the sanitary landfill will be converted into a recreational ground for the people.